


Letters From J.A.R.V.I.S.

by SunsetScomiche



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Hella cheesy title, I did this thing, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, Letters (Symbolic), M/M, Mutual Pining, but Ayyyyy, tech
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-12-25 22:44:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12045846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunsetScomiche/pseuds/SunsetScomiche
Summary: In which Jarvis was pre-programmed to record all conversations that include Tony Stark. Bruce just happened to stumble upon them.





	Letters From J.A.R.V.I.S.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the endlessly lovely [RavenClawRachel](http://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenclawRachel/pseuds/RavenclawRachel) and [Aria_Lerendeair](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair), who supported this idea 1,000%.
> 
> Title inspired by the series [Complaints and Protests Are Useless](http://archiveofourown.org/series/21885) by Aria_Lerendeair

The holographic projector hung mid-air, its blue simulations flashing back and forth as a skilled hand operated them. In the dim light of the lab, the good doctor stood engulfed in paperwork and formulas. His eyes shifted constantly, always collecting and assessing, calculating the data and adjusting the algorithm. His hands moved endlessly, turning over stacks of endless work to find the new proof, work on the new hypothesis.

As he worked, the doctor noticed a certain calm flow over him. Not peace or contentment, but calm at least. His work, while shuffled and somewhat frantic, always left his mind sort of... sated.

Dr. Banner sighed as he resigned to the fact that the day's work might just have to be finished tomorrow (he really was getting tired, and the answers just weren't coming yet). It was then that another scientist strolled into the lab, exuding an air of confidence, and a slight body odor.

The doctor assumed that Tony had just come from the gym, given his clothes and the usual cocky attitude he always wore just a little farther out on the edge when he worked out. Not to mention that gorgeous semi his shorts didn't do so well to hide.

Still, he throws him a bone.

"Gym?"

Tony looks up at him like he's just realized he's in the room and that conversation is even expected. Bruce knows that's not the case. He still smirks at it anyway.

"Yeah. Fantastic. You should have been there. Broke a sweat in, like, three minutes. My trainer is a goddess. And not in that pretentious, Nordic way. She's brilliant. Just, brilliant."

For a moment, Tony closes his eyes as if he's imagining all the ways in which she's 'just brilliant'. Bruce figures he'll give him that. Tony has somewhat of a knack for picking out the all the right people to work with. Why he ever even let Bruce in the lab is beyo-

"And speaking of brilliant! Whatcha workin' on? Cool super-gamma stuff? Or did you break new boundaries in bio today?"

Bruce almost thinks he hears a faint " _Hmmm_?" punctuating the sentence. He forcefully doesn't entertain the idea. Inhaling a short breath, he replies.

"Well, not so much today. And you?"

Bruce knows Tony had snuck into the lab early before ducking out for sparring practice, as he sometimes does.

"Eh. Tweaked prototype parts for the new suit. Green lighted a couple projects from R&D. You know how it goes."

He glances up and gives Bruce a smirk, and there's something glittering in his eyes.

Bruce just rolls his own in return. "Sure."

Tony is quick to ask, "Want dinner? I'm starving."

And sure, Bruce thinks. Why not?

________

It's later that night when Bruce stumbles into the lab, just slightly punch-drunk from dinner but happier for it. Tony had left on a short business trip for most of the night, and Bruce knows that, with the drinks in his system and the gamma trying to fight them off, he won't be able to sleep just yet.

He slides around his work table, eyeing all of his current projects as he wonders which one to open. He glances up at one of the computer screens as he greets the unspoken presence in the room.

"Evening, Jarvis."

"Good evening, Dr. Banner. How may I assist you?"

Bruce thinks about it for a moment, and finds that he doesn't really know. He shrugs.

"Anything good on TV?" He laughs, so Jarvis gives him the next best thing.

"Just running through the most recently input files and cataloging them into our databases, sir."

Bruce pauses, curious.

"What are they?"

It only takes a couple of seconds before there are projections everywhere. Bruce takes in a breath as transparent screens light up all around him. Files and folders and video feeds and news articles all scroll and flash at every angle, and it takes a moment for his eyes to focus on them. He then notices a set of files off to the side with waves cresting and falling as Jarvis adds them to his memory.

Turning his head and moving towards them, he asks, "Hey Jarvis, what are these?"

The sleek, metallic voice wraps around the room as the system answers: "I was programmed upon my invention to record all of Tony Stark's conversations: public, personal and private, in case of future use."

Bruce creases his eyebrows momentarily. The practice seems excessive at first, _but then, what isn't with Tony,_ and, Bruce could see how having such information could be useful in certain situations.

Eyeing the recordings, he asks, "Are they locked?"

"The files are only accessible to those with Level-A clearance into the labs, sir."

Bruce nods, knowing that list only includes Tony's closest confidants.

A feeling stirs in his gut, and it sparks with curiosity.

"So," he asks Jarvis, "you have all of our conversations in the lab saved?"

By way of answer, Jarvis clears the air around Bruce of all unnecessary files. He slides a floating blue screen around in front of the man, which shows a video of Tony and Bruce in the lab.

　

"I'm telling you, the adamantium will work."

"No, Tony, I guarantee you, you'll stick that casing over it and you'll try to push it too hard, and it won't be able to withstand the force. It'll crack, and it'll blow. I'm sure of it."

Bruce had watched as Tony's eyes had fired beams of light at him from across the room.

"Then let's test it."

Fifteen minutes later, and Tony had been proven wrong. Though, with metallic ashes in his hair and soot staining every inch of his clothes, Bruce hadn't been able to tell if that was a success or not.

　

Smiling, Bruce closed the video and quipped to Jarvis, "Saved, in case he decides he's right again."

"Indeed," Jarvis replied.

The feeling of curiosity now brimming beneath the skin, Bruce finds himself unable to resist.

"What about videos from the beginning?"

Bruce watches as Jarvis pulls a new set of files onto the previously highlighted screen.

　

"Okay, Jarvis," he hears Tony say as the scene pans on his old workshop. "Light her up."

And then his repulsors are firing and Tony's boots are lifting rapidly off the ground as he struggles to keep his balance. Bruce stares, captivated as Tony wrestles the suit back down, screaming out levels and codes like it's his second language. When Tony's feet finally connect with the floor, Bruce just laughs.

　

The next video Jarvis supplies is of Tony, clad in full Armani and smiling from ear to ear as he slips out of the latest model car and onto the runway at a gala event. The press are in full-force, but Tony looks calm and cool as he smiles at them and talks about climate change and the future of Stark Industries. Bruce's smile faded and he felt himself sobering up to the next feed of Tony climbing rapidly into the suit mid-party and begrudgingly hauling off swarms of enemy attackers.

Bruce sighed as Tony's voice cut through over the suit's speakers, asking Jarvis, "Can't I just have friends?"

　

Bruce closed the files then, opting for another folder that he noticed in the corner, marked for the day he had come to Stark Tower. Bruce had been scared then, not knowing if Stark Industries was really the place for him to conduct research. But, Tony had been all smiles and quips as he'd led him through the halls of the tower, and then directly into his own personal lab. Bruce smiled a bit at the memory, watching with interest as Tony talked animatedly about all of the features of what had come to be their shared lab.

The next data in the files reveals Tony standing alone in the lab, tinkering with something Bruce thinks might be an engine. Tony smiles as he runs over the specs for the latest suit with Jarvis, and Bruce shakes his head at the complexity of its inner workings. The arc reactor had always fascinated him for how it could power a human being, keep Tony alive and running, but the suits were on a different level.

The video feed ended with Tony finding success in a possible new framework for the suit's jets. Jarvis set the files aside, and Bruce turned to see a few news updates on the suits from around that time. He read about Tony's accomplishments with them, and gawked at the scathing reviews over his small failures. His breath had been baited, however, when he'd watched Tony fall out of the sky after being shot sidelong in the air and losing power to the jets. The Hulk had caught him then, and Bruce smiled as he remembered Tony gloating to him about it afterward. For science, he asked Jarvis to pull up those files, and sure enough, there Tony stood, with all manner of boasting and pride covering his features.

　

"I think he likes me."

Bruce had scoffed at that.

"He doesn't _like_ anyone. He was just angry that you fell."

"Because he likes me," Tony had been so sure. Bruce smirked, knowing that Tony had been right.

"Because you're an idiot."

　

The following files showed the pair of them in a more relaxed state, both of them having found a rhythm and a certain calm around each other. Bruce recalled being more drawn to Tony after that incident by a pull that he hadn't recognized at the time as worry for his best friend. In those same weeks, Tony had grown more and more accustomed to working late in the lab, toiling away on the suits as he tried desperately to fix any gaps in the design and to make everything more safe. A glance at one of the nearby files confirmed Bruce's memories of those weeks.

　

Tony, standing tall over his lab table, a metal contraption in his hand, a tool in another, and a scowl on his face.

"Jarvis, how long has it been?"

"Four hours, sir," Jarvis replied on the video.

Tony threw the scrap against the table then. "It's never going to work," he growled, abandoning his tool in favor of pacing the lab floor. Bruce noticed as he passed the work table how tired Tony looked, limbs sagging at his sides and his legs dragging slowly back and forth underneath the black tank top and long, dark pants.

"God, I wish Bruce were here," Tony mumbled as he pressed his fingerpads against his forehead.

For a moment, it was silent, but then Jarvis spoke up. "Why, sir?"

"Because..." Tony seemed to look up then, realizing that the answer wasn't as obvious as it had seemed. "I need him."

"Because you are currently experiencing anger and frustration," Jarvis had asked him.

"No, I just-" Tony paused to think of the right words.

Bruce smiled, looking down and away from him then. He didn't work with cars or engines, or even that many machines. He knew nothing of the piece sitting discarded on the desk. Tony answered Jarvis then.

"I work better when I'm with him."

Jarvis had replied, as if he'd worn a smile, "Certainly so, sir. Shall I try to recalibrate the item's facets again?"

"Nah, J. I'm going to bed," Tony replied as he stalked toward the elevator door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sir," Jarvis had answered as the video stopped.

　

Bruce looked over to another screen, where Jarvis had included a calibration of Tony's sleep patterns in the past months. He tapped it, asking, "Jarvis, show me how long Tony slept that night."

"When Master Stark retired from his work, it was nearly fifteen minutes after midnight."

Bruce waited, staring at the crests that were meant to represent the countless hours of restlessness Tony had endured in the past months.

"He did not fall asleep until three o'clock in the morning."

Bruce nodded, a short tip of his chin punctuated by the pursing of his lips and the swift starting of another video.

　

This time, Tony was smiling, laughing even, though the mirth didn't quite seem to reach his eyes. He waded easily through crowds on an open floor of the tower, chatting to friends while wearing a white suit with finely tailored black accents, a drink swaying subtly in his hand. Bruce noticed a few scientists that he knew in the mix. He remembered then that he had flown to Italy for a conference that weekend, and his friends, who couldn't make it to the conference, had told him that attending Stark's party would be just as well. Now, Bruce watched with interest as Tony greeted them.

"Mister Stark, it's wonderful to meet you. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Tony had been as gracious as ever, despite the discolored hollows underneath his eyes. "It's lovely to have you here."

Bruce's old friends had smiled then, saying things like, "I hear you're working with Bruce now. How is he?"

Tony had smirked for them, a fire in his gaze that Bruce immediately recognized. It reminded him of all of the goading and nagging Tony had done when they had first started working in the lab together, with Tony trying to get him both to unleash and to unwind. Tony had been unrelenting in his efforts to make Bruce lighten up, and although it had been a bit distracting at first, the work had always gotten done.

"Oh, yes, he's a joy to work with. Never complains about anything," Tony had answered them.

His friends had all laughed then, and Tony had left them a few moments later, his smile looking a bit brighter than before.

Bruce tilted his head slightly, zooming in on a file Jarvis had set close-by.

It was a photo, taken from the airport on the day Bruce had returned from the conference. Tony had personally picked him up in the red car that he knew Bruce liked; they had laughed once when Bruce had said that the color reminded him of the suit. Tony had arrived in a three-piece suit and smart black trainers, with Bruce wearing the last of his dress clothes from the week-long convention. He remembered Tony sauntering up to him, laughingly feigning shock that he had been able to last a week with all those _fancy clothes_ , as Bruce had once called them. Then, Tony had pulled him into a hug and whispered, "It's good to see you" before turning and heading for the exit, one arm still looped around Bruce's shoulders. Bruce hadn't known what to do then, and had assumed afterward that it just meant Tony had missed him. But, a new feeling stirred inside him now that disagreed with that hypothesis.

Work in the labs had continued as usual after that. Though, Bruce would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he'd been a little bit more keen on Tony's presence after returning home. He _had_ missed Tony, and he'd found it odd to realize that the tower had become more like a home to him. Still, he found himself feeling looser when Tony was in the lab, a little bit more free to take risks and be adventurous, though he always walked on the line between safety and damage control. So, if the tips of his fingers had lingered a little longer than they should have over Tony's hands when Bruce passed him some lab equipment, or if the gazes he gave Tony when no one was looking pushed on the edges of platonic, or even if Tony had pretended not to notice, then perhaps it was because they had missed each other. Perhaps.

Bruce crossed his arms over his chest as he noticed a video in the far left corner of one of Jarvis' screens. It looked familiar, and his curiosity spiked so quickly that he played it without hesitation.

　

The video came into focus from behind Bruce, who stood in Tony's upstairs kitchen.

Bruce looked up at Tony, who sat, all confidence and a starry-eyed smile, across the room. Bruce remembered how he had started to ask the man a question, but found that his throat had gone dry as soon as he'd opened his mouth. He reached for the glass of water near him, then looked over at Tony again. This time, the man turned to look at him, that gigantic smile spreading over his tanned skin.

"Hey, Bruce! I didn't even notice you'd come in. Wanna join us? It's gonna be a lot of fun."

Tony had flashed a smile at the girls and some of his friends sitting around him then, who were all gathered near one of Tony's flat screen TVs, preparing to play in a live car racing tournament through his game controllers.

Bruce held Tony's gaze for a moment, and then shook his head in polite decline. He looked down at the stone marble counter, noticing its dark slate edging, a testament to the fine craftsmanship of everything Tony owned. Glancing over its sleek design, he noticed a container across the counter, and realized that it was a cake. He smiled, noting that he had been hungry when he'd ventured up from the lab, and decided to open it. He pulled down a small plate from the shelf and quietly chose a slice.

"Hey, Tony," he'd pressed before the man got settled in. "Do you want some of this before the game?"

With a quick smirk, Tony had risen from the couch and walked over to Bruce. Bruce hadn't forgotten the shiver that ran up his spine as Tony's eyes seemed to graze over every part of him.

Just then, Tony had gotten as close as he could, and leaned in just slightly, and a trail of words had fallen over his lips and lifted gently into Bruce's ears:

_"Sei così dolce, ma non posso averti."_

And then he'd been gone from Bruce's space as soon as he'd arrived.

　

Bruce's chest leapt then, his hand flying to pause the screen and a few small beads of sweat breaking over his face as he remembered that day and the lilting, somber tones in Tony's voice.

"Jarvis, translate," he demanded.

There was a pause then, causing Bruce to glance away from the screen and look up at the ceiling.

Finally, a window of text appeared in front of him, and Jarvis read him the translation:

 _"You're so sweet, but I can't have you_ . _"_

A trail of heat ran down Bruce's spine, followed by the cold chill of doubt.

"Play it again."

Without hesitation, Jarvis resumed the video, just as Tony had spoken the words, and Bruce watched as Tony turned away, his hand sliding past the cake and off the counter, his eyes never leaving Bruce.

The physicist cleared his throat, staring at the floor as data points began to connect in his mind. Still, he needed to know more. He reached up and slid the video to the side, finding a more recent conversation between the two of them.

　

"So, you're going to the meeting on Friday, then," Bruce had asked Tony as he had attempted to work out his schedule for the following week. Finding some quiet time in the lab, however lonely it might be, had always proven productive in the long run. But, that didn't mean he couldn't tease Tony for going. "How surprising," he'd quipped as his pencil dragged over the thin sheets of his small daily planner.

Tony's eyes had grown comically wide in return. "I know! But, let's get this straight. I'm not going because I actually care about the meeting. I own the company. I hired them. If they can't figure it out by now, there's nothing I can do. No. _I'm going_ , because there just so happens to be a beautiful little night club in town that just so happens to have the most beautiful little blondes... that you ever did see." Tony's voice drawled as if merely the thought had inebriated him. Bruce smirked as he watched him in mild discontent. Tony then rolled his eyes and seemed to shrug it off in a joke on Bruce's moral persuasions.

"You know, if you go for that sort of thing."

"Ha," Bruce had laughed at him, watching as Tony walked over to his desk and began opening files. He clearly remembered the knot that he had felt in his abdomen at that moment, and then the feeling that he just couldn't shake: wanting Tony to stay. But, he had known as well as anyone that Tony couldn't he held down, couldn't be reigned in, and couldn't possibly be told to stay in one place. It was still hard telling himself that when Tony had brought said beautiful little blondes - _and brunettes, and ravens, and redheads..._ \- home afterward.

　

Bruce cleared his throat, and Jarvis closed the video file and set it aside. After a moment's pause, he asked, jokingly, "Does Tony ever sleep, Jarvis?"

"Not since last week, sir."

Bruce eyebrows shot up as he tried to process what the AI had just said.

"What?"

　

Once more, Jarvis supplied a video in lieu of reply. This time, Bruce immediately recognized the scene. He had been woken up in the middle of the night to sounds through the walls. As he had suspicioned, -though never quite believed- Tony had been walking two girls as politely as he could toward the door, despite the clear state of undress and reluctance on all faces present. Bruce glanced at the clock on the tower's feed and shook his head at the glaring record of 2:00 AM. Apparently, after a night of whatever it was Tony usually got up to, he had brought these girls home, only to decide that he couldn't go through with it. What the reason for that could be racked Bruce's brain as he watched Tony close the door behind them and slink exhaustedly back down the hallway and toward his room.

　

Bruce questioned Jarvis, "He hasn't slept since then?"

"No, sir."

Bruce wiped his face with a hand. That incident had been three days ago. He remembered feeling too awkward in the lab to ask Tony about it the next morning. He had supposed it hadn't mattered, but knowing Tony, he hadn't told anyone even if it had. Now, Tony was in a late night meeting and probably too exhausted to pay any attention. Bruce hadn't even thought much of it when Tony had been uncharacteristically quiet at dinner. The medical side of him felt a bitter sting at not diagnosing the symptoms. But, his nerves had too often gotten the better of him around Tony, and he'd allowed himself to drink at dinner in an attempt to ease himself down.

Now, a clear conscience forced him to the file from dinner that night. Sure enough, Tony looked ragged, but not just from exhaustion. Past the slow-moving limbs and dark, tired eyes, Bruce noticed something more. He watched, and he discovered something in Tony that he had never seen before. Nervousness.

Sure, Bruce had heard Tony's voice crack nervously a time or two in battle. He had known the slight upward tilt to its tone when they thought a project in the lab might go south. But, this was new. Bruce watched as Tony's eyes pounced back and forth over the table at Bruce as he talked. He saw how recoiled Tony seemed, in contrast to his usual relaxed body language, and how the facade that Tony was trying to pull did _not_ cut it. Bruce's eyes carefully grazed over Tony's features. He watched the way Tony's feet had tapped restlessly against the floor, his hands clenching and unclenching at his thighs. Bruce inhaled sharply as he saw Tony's lips tremor around his glass once, his eyes looking desperate and deep.

Bruce leaned back against a desk, finding it hard to breathe as he finally accepted what all of this meant.

Jarvis paused the video and asked, "Sir, your heart rate seems to be increasing. Can I get you anything?"

Lifting his eyes, Bruce replied, "No, no. Jarvis, what time is it?"

The answer left Bruce feeling light headed: "The current time is twelve twenty-five ante meridian, sir, and Master Stark has just arrived on the premises. Shall I-"

"No, Jarvis, thank you. That- that'll be all."

"Of course, sir.

________

The doctor wrung his hands back and forth in front of his chest, nervously whispering to himself. _How had he allowed this to go so wrong? And what could possibly be done to fix it now?_ Tony loved him, or at least he liked him enough to totally change his lifestyle over the past few months, and Bruce knew that he felt the same way. But, _what would he do?_ Tony would be walking into that front door any second now, no doubt exhausted, and probably furious that it had taken Bruce this long to realize all of these things, and Bruce had absolutely no idea what to do.

As it turned out, when Tony opened the door, he hadn't needed to know. As soon as Tony laid eyes on him, he was crossing the room towards him and staring at him like he just _knew_. When Bruce parted his lips to speak, Tony was already talking.

"Jarvis, he, uh- He showed me everything, too. Bruce, I-"

"Tony, wait." Bruce held his hands out in front of his chest and Tony stopped just a foot or so from him. Bruce took a deep breath as his eyes connected with Tony's and he watched how open and vulnerable they looked.

"All this time, you've been- And I didn't even-" Bruce threw his hands into the air, brokenly trying to find the words to apologize.

Tony just smiled. "Yeah, well, I was pretty clueless, too. Until Jarvis showed me what I already knew. Bruce-"

Before Tony can even get the words out, a pair of eager lips is melting with his, and all he can do is close his eyes. As he finds enough coherence to return the favor, he slips one hand around Bruce's waist. The other, he slides carefully into the air, and with a wink at the ceiling, he signals Jarvis a thumbs up.

　

- _The End_ -

**Author's Note:**

> Visit [my tumblr](https://sunsetscomiche.tumblr.com/) for more Tony/Bruce and other crazy fun.


End file.
